Hide and Seek
by animomma
Summary: Ryuu tries to take refuge under his desk, but has some uninvited company.


Ryuu liked to nap under his desk.

This was a habit he had picked up early on in his career at the palace of Wistaria. He'd been very young when he had been accepted as a pharmacist, a child with the prevailing need to feel safe in an unknown environment. One day when he'd been working, he'd noticed that his dangling feet had quite a bit of room to move, and on impulse, he'd ducked his head down under his desk to test out just how much space was available. The rest was history.

So when he and Shirayuki had been transferred to Lyrias, one of his primary concerns was making sure that his new desk had the proper accommodations that he needed for the duration of their transfer. Happily, he quickly confirmed that not only was it adequate, but actually had more space underneath it than his desk back home at Wistaria castle. His naps under his new desk proved to be quite satisfactory, if not as familiar as the ones he'd had previously.

But one day, about a month after their arrival, Ryuu found himself in desperate need of a secret place. A visiting pharmacist was on the hunt, determined to meet the young prodigy from Wistaria palace and pick his brain about a veritable laundry list of things. Ryuu's introversion had kicked in, and drove him out of the library in which he'd been happily studying, in favor of frantically roaming the halls to find a hiding place. His mind raced, and quickly settled on the one place where he always went for safety: the space under his desk. His feet quickly rerouted themselves onto a track leading to his workroom.

Thankfully, when he arrived, there wasn't anyone else there to witness his rather undignified scramble into the hollow of the desk. He settled in, grateful that he'd had the foresight to not only put a pillow and blanket in his hiding spot, but also to stock it with a small variety of snacks. He pulled out a cookie now and munched on it, propping his back against the drawers of the desk.

Just as he was finishing his treat, he heard a distant voice calling for him. "Ryuu!" He froze, terrified that his hiding place had been discovered. But then the voice got closer and called again, "Ryuu! Where are you?" And with a swash of relief, he recognized the kind voice of his assistant. Still, he wasn't about to reveal his location. She might not be the visiting pharmacist, but who was to say they weren't in league to find him?

He held his breath and waited, willing her to leave without seeing him. Unfortunately for him, a pair of cream-colored boots strode into view around the back of the desk, and he belatedly remembered that she was all too familiar with his habits. Reluctantly, Ryuu tilted his head up to look at Shirayuki right as she crouched down so she could see him as well, resulting in Ryuu craning his neck uncomfortably to readjust his view again.

Shirayuki giggled at his acrobatics. "Ryuu, what are you doing under here?"

He turned his head to one side and muttered, "Nothing. Just wanted a nap."

She smiled in return. "Ah, I see. Well, do you mind if I come in there with you?"

He looked at her, startled. "Wh-what?"

Shirayuki's eyes crinkled with amusement. "I'm sorry about the intrusion, but it appears that there's a visiting pharmacist, and she seems determined to track down one or both of us and ask as many questions as possible. So I'm looking for somewhere to hide out for a while, and I was hoping you'd share your space here. It's certainly much more spacious than your old desk." She waved a hand around in the empty space next to Ryuu to prove her point.

He peered at her solemnly for a moment, and then nodded gravely. As long as she wasn't going to out him to the crazy pharmacist, then he supposed he couldn't fault her for trying to do the same thing he was.

Shirayuki sighed in relief. "Thank you, Ryuu. I'm coming in, then." She crawled cautiously into the space next to him, taking care not to knock into him in the process. She pulled her knees up to her chest and leaned back against the front wood panel of the desk, and Ryuu silently offered her a cookie. She smiled and took it, as he pulled out another one for himself.

Shirayuki said, "That pharmacist certainly is…excitable, isn't she?"

Ryuu nibbled at his cookie, and nodded gravely. "I heard her from all the way across the library, howling about wanting to talk to the youngest court pharmacist in history."

His companion giggled. "Well, you can't really blame her for being interested, can you? You're a very bright young man."

He blushed furiously in response, and looked away again to mumble, "Well, she didn't have to come running across the library like a bloodhound."

A burst of laughter startled him into looking at his redheaded friend, who was trying to stifle her giggles. She looked at him through one squinted eye, and apologized, "I'm sorry, Ryuu, but the image of that woman chasing you across the library like a scared rabbit was just too much."

Ryuu felt himself blush, and muttered back, "It's not so funny if you're the one being chased!"

"It certainly isn't," agreed a timbered voice from above them. The conspirators both jumped, and Shirayuki let out a little shriek. Quickly, a figure dropped down to the floor, and shushed them. "Hush, Ojou-san, you'll give away our position!"

Ryuu stared in surprise at their new visitor, as Shirayuki gasped out, "Obi! Where did you come from?"

The bodyguard winked. "I'm always keeping tabs on you from somewhere, Ojou-san. For now, however, would you mind scooting over? Looks like I'm in the same boat you two are."

"What do you mean?" Shirayuki asked blankly.

Obi sighed. "That crazy pharmacist lady is after me, too. Seems she likes what she sees, and won't leave me alone. I've been avoiding her all morning, and finally managed to get her interested in our young prodigy here." He gestured at the dumbstruck Ryuu, and continued, "But since you two have disappeared, she's back to hunting for me. And, since that is directly related to you, I figure that makes it partially your fault. Therefore, move over." And without waiting for their response, Obi crawled into the desk space, nestling himself in between Ryuu and Shirayuki.

"Hey, don't shove!" Shirayuki protested, moving her thin frame farther over to accommodate their lithe friend. Obi shushed her, and they both giggled conspiratorially. Ryuu sighed internally, giving up on his private hiding space. Without realizing it, however, a small smile stretched at the corners of his mouth as he silently offered more cookies to his guests.

The three of them stayed there for some time, companionably munching on cookies and holding whispered conversations, every once in a while hushing each other to listen for the pharmacist, laughing secretly when she failed to find them. And, predictably, Obi fell asleep as soon as the cookies were gone. Less predictably, Shirayuki soon followed him, tilting her head onto the bodyguard's shoulder as she dozed.

Ryuu regarded them for a minute with his dark eyes, and then draped his blanket over their legs as well as his own, before settling his head down on his pillow. He had to sit propped up against the panel of the desk, and reflected that sharing his nap space with others was certainly less convenient than sleeping alone. He closed his eyes, and smiled. It felt, however, decidedly safer, he thought, before drifting off to sleep.


End file.
